How did Dorothy get back to Kansas?

A few weeks ago I was a presenter at the CFT (Center for Financial Training) conference in Newport RI, (and what a blast that was). Anyway, I happened to catch the last few minutes of The Wizard of Oz, one of my all time favorites. There was Dorothy, saying goodbye to the Scarecrow, clicking her heals together three times, and waking up in her own black and white life. How did she get there?

Here's a hint. It wasn't the shoes. It was her mind. My friend and business coach Marc Tannenbaum likes to say succeeding in business is a six inch game, it's all between the ears. Boy, is he right.

Dorothy had the power to go home all along. And it wasn't the Ruby Slippers that held the power. It was the six inches between her ears. All she had to do was believe that she could go home, and home she went. And so, I would posit, it is with us and all that we wish to do that we think is undoable.

I listen to people tell me, "I'm a terrible public speaker." and I think,"If you say so." What we believe we make real.

At the moment, we're being told that the economy is bad and it's only going to get worse. Here's what I think. I think we are some of the most creative, resourceful, hard working people on the planet. When we put our minds to something, we are unstoppable.

We rise or we fall. We succeed or we fail. We are good, we are great, we are mediocre. We find our way home. The power isn't in the shoes. It's in us.

go get 'em

The Gift of Public Speaking

I'm not talking about the gift of being a great speaker, as in the "gift of gab". I'm talking about the gift you are giving your audience when you "give" a presentation. Think about it. If you're doing it right (and if you're not, why do it at all) you've given a great deal of thought to your audience, your main goal, and your content. Then, you've practiced and practiced, edited and edited again (and flossed every day too, right?) until you've got the perfect present, I mean, present-ation. See where I'm going with this?

Your presentation should be a present to your audience, not a method of torture and punishment. After all, what'd they ever do to you? More important, what would you like them to do? I'll bet there is a pay off for you in there somewhere, even if it's a simple as a heart-felt thank you. Give them something to thank you about! Give them the gift of a great present-ation and you'll be heard.

go get 'em.

presenting without fear

Afraid of public speaking? Congratulations, you've got tons of company. If you think about it, when you're giving a presentation and you're nervous, it's because you're focusing on yourself and the fact that you're standing in front of a group of people who are also focused on you. Then you start focusing on your nervous behaviors and wonder if your audience is focused on them as well. Am I right?

News flash! Your focus is in the WRONG place. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your presentation has very little to do with you, at least as far as the audience is concerned. It's all about THEM. What are you saying that matters to them? What solutions are you providing to their problems? Are you saying it in a way the can grasp and hold on to? Are you throwing too much at them at once? Are you using words they don't understand? THIS is the stuff they care about. honestly, if your hands shake a little, or your neck gets flushed, or you're sweating , they may or may not notice it but I can pretty much guarantee they're not going to care. (no offense). You only matter to them as far as what you're saying has relevance and importance to them. They're like every 15 year old you've ever known. It's all about them. They know it, and once you know it you'll concentrate your focus where it's supposed to be - on them, and your nerves will take care of themselves.

Go get em.